Thread cleaner for textile machines



Dec. 15, 1936. P. HEMMERICH THREADI CLEANER FOR TEXTILE MACHINES Filed NOV. 20, 1955 Il El INVENTOR Patented Dec. l5,

` attain eren OFFICE.

Duffy Silk Company, Buffalo, N. Y.,

ration of New York Application November 20, 1935, Serial No. 50,749

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a thread cleaner or slub catcher for textile machines whereby lint, slubs, general thread imperfections and other extraneous matter adhering to the thread are removed therefrom and thereby avoid imperfections in the fabric which is made from the threads.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide an improved cleaner of this character having two sets of cleaner blades which are so arranged that the blades of one set clean two opposite sides of the thread and the two blades of the other set engage opposite sides of the thread on a diametrical line arranged at right angles to the line on which the first mentioned blades are arranged and to provide simple and efficient means whereby the blades of each of these sets may be adjusted toward and from each other to suit the size of the thread and enable the latter to be cleaned most eifectively.

Another object of this invention is to so mount the cleaner that the thread can be easily and quickly inserted therein and the cleaner blades may be readily adjusted relative to each other and also adjusted as a unit for centering the relative spool upon which the cleaned thread is wound.

A further object of this invention is to so construct the cleaner that the same can be readily mounted on the reciprocating traverse bar and dismounted therefrom quickly and conveniently in cleaning, inspecting and repairing any of its parts and thus reducing the loss of time for this purpose to a minimum.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. l is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section of a textile thread cleaning machine provided with a thread cleaner embodying an approved form of my invention, the section being taken on line l-i, Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the thread cleaner and the traverse bar carrying the same, with the guide omitted, and showing the parts in the position which they occupy when the cleaner is in condition for operating on a thread.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the position of the parts in full line which they preferably occupy when cleaning, adjusting or rep-airing the same and also showing some of the parts by dotted lines in the position which they occupy when inserting a thread preparatory to operating the cleaning mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section on an enlarged scale, taken on line 4 4, Fig. 2.

Figs. 5 and 6 are horizontal sections, on an enlarged scale, taken on the correspondingly numbered lines in Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic front elevation, on an enlarged scale, showing the relative position of two sets of cleaner blades which embody my improvements for the purpose of cleaning the thread on horizontally opposite sides thereof and on vertically opposite sides of the same and thus insure removal therefrom of thread imperfections, such as lint, slubs and other extraneous matter.

In the following description similar characters of reference indicate like parts in the several figures of the drawing.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawing, the numeral I l] represents the supply spool or pay-oli spool upon which is wound the thread H of silk or other suitable material which is to be cleaned and the numeral l2 represents the receiving or take-on spool upon which the thread is rewound after the slub or the like has been removed from the thread. In actual practice the pay-off spool is usually rotatably mounted in the lower front part of the machine and the take-on spool is rotatably mounted in the upper rear part of the machine so that both of these spools turn about horizontal parallel axes in the manner well known in thread cleaning devices of this general character.

In front of the take-on spool and at a point above the pay-olf spool and somewhat in rear of the latter is arranged a horizontally and longitudinally reciprocable traverse bar I3 upon which are mounted the means whereby the thread is cleaned of slub and the like on its way from the pay-olf spool to the take-on spool and this thread is moved laterally and in a direction lengthwise of the axis of the take-'on spool a distance equal to the length of the body of the take-on spool for the purpose of causing the thread to be wound evenly upon the take-on spool throughout the length of its body between the flanges on the ends of the same.

The thread cleaning and guiding means which embody the present improvements are mounted on the traverse bar between these spools and in the preferred construction these improvements are constructed as follows:

On the front side of the traverse bar is arranged a supporting bracket which is preferably constructed of sheet metal so as to form a base I4 which is secured to the traverse bar by means of screws l5 or other suitable fastening and a flat supporting arm I6 which projects horizontally from one end of the base I4 and has fiat sides arranged vertically thereon.

Upon the arm of this bracket is mounted the main section of the frame which supports the thread cleaning and guiding mechanism which main section is preferably constructed from a plate or sheet of metal so as to form a lower` part I 'l' which engages with the front side of the bracket arm i6 and an upper part I8 which is offset rearwardly from the lower part I'I and thereby forms a downwardly facing shoulder I9 on the main supporting plate which engages with the upper edge of the bracket arm I6, as shown in Figs. l and 4. At opposite ends of its lower edge the lower part of the main.

supporting plate or frame section is provided with rearwardly projecting lugs 20 which together form a shoulder engaging with the underside of the bracket arm I6, as shown in Figs. l and 4. By means of the upper and lower shoulders I9 anad 20 the main frame plate is held in an upright position onthe bracket arm and prevented from tilting laterallyI relative thereto and these shoulders also serve as means for guiding this main frame plate horizontally on this bracket armV for the purpose of ade justing the cleaning and guiding means which are carried by this frame plate relative to the take-on spool of the textile-machine of which these several parts are members. The fastening means for permitting this frame plate to be adjusted horizontally on the bracket arm and to retain the same in position after adjustment may be varied but it is preferable to employ for this f purpose,Y a clamping screw which passes with its shank 2l through a horizontal longitudinal slot 22 in the lower part of the main frame plate il and engages with a threaded opening 23 in the adjacent part of the bracket arm I E while the head 24 at the front end of 'the shank is arranged in front of the lower part I'I' of the main supporting plate and a spring washer 25 is interposed between this head and the front sideV of this lower part I'I, Ias best shown in Figs. 4 and 6.

By these means the main frame plate is frictionally clamped or held in place on the bracket arm so that they several parts mounted on this frame plate may be easily and conveniently shifted as aunit relative to the take-on spool of the machine and the parts of the thread cleaner and guide will also be reliably held against displacement on the traverse bar after such adjustment. By removing the attaching screw 2|, 24 the cleaner as a whole and the parts associated therewith may be removed `as la unit from the traverse bar when it is desired to repair, adjust or clean the same with greater thoroughness than would be possible if these parts were left in an assembled condition in the machine.

Means are provided in front of the traverse bar for guiding the thread to be cleaned from the pay-oir" or supply spool to the cleaning means which are mounted on the traverse bar. L1 their preferred construction these guiding means comprise an inclined supporting arm 26 projecting downwardly and forwardly from the lower edge of the main supporting plate II, an upwardly and forwardly inclined rod or stem 27 mounted at its lower end on the supporting arm 25 and a fork 28 mounted on the upper end of the stem 2'I and having its prongs projecting upwardly so as to form a guide slot between these prongs. This fork is preferably constructed of porcelain or similar hard, smooth and durable material which will permit the thread which passes upwardly and rearwardly from the supply spool and in engagement with the bottom of the fork slot to run smoothly and without appreciably wearing this fork. This fork is preferably mounted on the arm 26 so that it can be accurately adjusted in a vertical direction with reference to the cleaning means which are arranged in rear of the same, this being preferably accomplished by passing the lower end of the stem 2l through an opening in the arm 26 and placing clamping screw nuts 29 and 30 upon the stem 2l and engaging the same with the upper and lower side of the plate arm 26, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 4. When both these nuts are tight the guide fork is held rigidly in place and upon loosening one of these nuts and tightening the other the fork may be raised o-r lowered for bringing the same into the desired position so as to most effectively guide the thread which is to be cleaned toward the cleaning elements.

The upper rearwardly offset part I8 of the main frame or supporting plate is provided with a gap which opens upwardly and which has a wide lower part BI, a narrow intermediate throat S2 and an upper mouth, the sides 33 of which converge downwardly. Upon the front side of this upper main plate section I8 two cleaner blades 34 are so mounted horizontally side by side so that a Vertical slot 35 is formed between the opposing edge portions of these plates through which the thread to be cleaned passes rearwardly for the purpose of removing general thread imperfections, such as slubs, lint and other extraneous matter therefrom.

In the preferred construction each of these cleaner blades has its periphery constructed to form a plurality of straight facets 54 which are arranged in an annular row, six of such facets being preferably employed on the periphery of each of these blades. Each of these facets of these cleaning blades is made at right angles to thc opposite flat sides thereof so that each facet provides sharp or square corners on opposite sides of the respective blade. Each of these blades has the general form of a disk and the same is mounted on the respective part of the main supporting plate by means which permit this blade to be rotated about its axis for bringing any one of its facets into a position in which it stands opposite a corresponding facet of the companion cleaning blade and thus form an upright slot between the same through which the thread to be cleaned is adapted to pass and each blade is also capable of being adjusted both horizontally and also vertically for the purpose of adjusting the same so that the different parts of the facet which is in the operative position may be engaged by the thread to be cleaned and the blade may also be adjusted to provide the desired Width of slot between the same and the companion blade to suit the size and character of the thread which is being cleaned. This adjustment is preferably effected by means of a clamping or adjusting screw the shank 36 of which passes through an oversize opening 3'I in the frame part i8 and engages with an opening 38 in the respective blade, and a spring washer 3S interposed between the head l0 of this screw and the rear side of the frame part I 8, as best shown in Fig. 5. Upon loosening the screw 36, 40 the respective cleaning blade may be turned about its axis for presenting the desired facet to the working position which opposes the other cleaning blade, by

Cil

moving the cleaner blade horizontally the width of the cleaning slot 35 may be adjusted to suit requirements and by adjusting each blade vertically dierent parts of each facet may be brought into the desired position for being operatively engaged by the thread. It is thus possible to not only vary the width of the slot 35 to suit the character of the thread which is to be cleaned but also utilize each of the facets of the blades successively for thread cleaning purposes and also to use diierent parts of each facet for this purpose. When the available corners of the facets on one side of a cleaning blade have become worn by the attrition of the thread and other extraneous matter thereon engaging the corners of the facets on the respective side of the blade, then the latter may be reversed side for side and the corners of the facets on the opposite side of the blade may be in like manner used successively by replacing a worn part of a facet with a new, sharp or unworn part thereof.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the life or usefulness of the cleaning blades due to this construction and means for mounting the same on its support may be prolonged much longer than has been possible with those heretofore used for this purpose thereby effecting a considerable economy in the operation of these machines inasmuch as less frequent stoppage of the machine is necessary for making such adjustments or replacements to compensate for wear.

Although the number of facets which are employed cn each cleaning blade may Vary it is preferable to employ six of them on each blade because this formation permits of making the same economically and without waste from sheet metal and a hexagonal form of such blades also provides facets which are sufficiently long to properly guide the thread passing the same during the cleaning operation and also permits of adjusting this blade so as to provide a plurality of wearing points on each facet at the opposite corners thereof before it becomes necessary to discard the blade.

Arranged normally in front of the upper part I8 of the main frame plate is an auxiliary frame section which is constructed in the form of a plate 4i from sheet metal and provided at one end with a gap which opens outwardly toward the respective end of this plate and has a wide inner partV 42, a comparatively narrow intermediate part or throat 43 and an outer mouth which leads to said throat and the walls 44 of which converge inwardly as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This auxiliary plate is pivotally mounted on the main supporting plate so that the auxiliary plate can be either moved downwardly into a horizontal position in which its gap extends horizontally across the vertical gap in the main frame plate, as shown in Fig. 2, and this auxiliary plate can also be moved upwardly so that its inwardly converging mouth registers with the correspondingly shaped mouth of the main supporting plate, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, to permit of introducing the thread to be cleaned simultaneously into the gaps of both supporting plates, and the auxiliary supporting plate may also be moved into an upright position, as indicated by full lines in Fig. 3, in order to render more accessible the parts which are mounted on these plates whenever the same require adjustment, repairing or other attention. This pivotal connection between the auxiliary and main supporting plates is preferably so organized that it also permits of adjusting the auxiliary plate horizontally to a limited extent on the main supporting plate for a purpose which will presently appear, In its preferred form this connection between the auxiliary and main supporting plates, as best shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5, comprises a screw passing horizontally with its shank 45 through a horizontal slot 46 in an arm 4l projecting laterally from the main supporting plate section i8 and through an opening 48 in a tang 4Q arranged at the opposite end of the auxiliary frame or supporting plate, the head 5D of said screw bearing against the rear side of the main plate arm 4l, a screw nut 5! being arranged on the screw body 45 between the arm 41 and the tang 49. and a screw nut 52 being applied to the front end of the screw body 45 and bearing against the front side of the tang 49.

In rear of and on opposite sides of the gapV in the auxiliary supporting plate are mounted two cleaning blades 53, 53, which are preferably constructed in all respects like the cleaning blades 34 and alsoY adjustably and rotatably mounted on the auxiliary supporting plate by means similar to those which are employed for connecting the blades 34 with the main supporting plate.

In the present organization the cleaning blades 3d operate as a pair of rear cleaning blades, .the opposing vertical front corners of whose operative facets 54 are adapted to be engaged by the horizontally opposite sides of the thread il which is to be cleaned when the machine is in operation and when the blades 53 are in their operative position one abo-ve the other the straight facets 56 on. the opposing peripheral portions of the front blades are arranged horizontally and form between them a horizontal slot or passageway 55 which is arranged at right angles to the slot 35 which is s formed between the vertical opposing facets of the rear blades. In this position of the front cleaning blades relative to the pair of rearA cleaning blades an eye is formed through which the thread to be cleaned is passed and whereby the bottom and top sides of the thread are adapted to be engaged by the opposing ho-rizontal facets or edge portions 54 of the lower and upper front blades and the horizontally opposite sides oI" the thread are engaged by the opposing vertical edge portions or facets of the rear blades so that the thread during such passage is engaged at four diiferent places of its periphery and thus insures effective cleaning or removalY therefrom of any extraneous matter, such as slubs, lint or other thread imperfections.

The front pair of cleaning blades are capable of being turned about their axes for successively presenting their facets 55 in opposition to one another in order to form the horizontal slot or front blades to be presented to the thread in place of those portions which have been worn sufliciently by the threads to make such substitution desirable or necessary.

The preferred means for accomplishing this last mentioned adjustment consists of clamping screws having threaded shanks 5l passing through oversize openings 59 in the auxiliary supporting plate and engaging their threaded rear ends with threaded o-penings 58 in the center of the cutter blades 53 and spring washers Bil interposed between the front side of the auxiliary plate il and the heads Bl of the last mentioned screws, as best shown in Fig. 4.

The frictional connection between the front pair of blades and the auxiliary supporting plate is sufficient to hold these blades reliably in place during the normal operation of the machine, but this connection will permit of readily rotating the front blades or to be turned for bringing the desired facets of the same in opposition to each other, also to move the blades toward and from each other for obtaining a slot of the desired width between them and also to move the respective blades in a direction parallel with the walls of the cleaning slot between them in order to bring different parts of the respective facets of the front blades into working position relative to the path of the thread which is to be cleaned and thereby increasing the life or usefulness of these blades accordingly and reducing the amount of time which would be lost for stopping the machine when making such adjustment.

In its preferred organization the relative position of the several cleaning blades is such that the thread to be cleaned passes upwardly and rearwardly at an angle from the guide fork 28 to the eye which is formed by the several blades of the cleaning device which causes proportionately greater wear on the upper operative facet of the lower blade of the front pair of blades. Lifting of the thread at this time from the lower front blade to an undue extent is prevented by the lower facet of the upper front blade. In the passage of the thread through the horizontal slot between the opposing edge portions of the front blades this thread is engaged on its bottom and top sides by the opposing edges of the lower and upper front blades whereby thread imperfections, slubs, lint or other extraneous matter are removed from these parts of the thread by these blades. As the thread continues its rearward passage after leaving the slot between the front blades the same is engaged on horizontally opposite sides by lthe opposing vertical edge portions of the rear pair of blades which form the vertical slot between the same, whereby the horizontally opposite sides of the thread are engaged by the rear blades and further thread imperfections, such as lint, slubs or the like are removed from the thread and prevented from passing rearwardly therewith to the take-on spool, thereby preventing such objectionable matter from being incorporated in the fabric which is subsequently made from this thread.

In practice it has been found advantageous to separate the blades of the front set so that the horizontal walls of the opposing operative edge portions thereof produce a horizontal slot which is comparatively wide and the pair of rear blades are adjusted horizontally relative to each other so as to form a comparatively narrow Vertical slot between the opposing vertical operative edge portions of the saine. It follows from this that an eye or passageway for the thread is formed which is of greater height than width and causes effective loosening of thread imperfections, such as lint or slubs by the front pair of blades and also permits the passage o-f any knots in the thread. The rear pair of blades due to their closer arrangement relatively to each other operate not only to engage the horizontally opposite sides of the thread so as to remove therefrom thread imperfections, such as slubs or lint, but also operate to hold back thread imperfections removed by the rear blades as well as thread imperfections which have been removed or loosened by the front pair of blades. By rendering the several cleaning blades universally adjustable in all directions it is possible to accurately adjust the front pair of blades relatively to each other and also to adjust the rear pair of blades relatively to each other as best suits the requirements of any particular thread which is to be cleaned. This universal adjustment also permits o-f easily adjusting the several blades so that the two corners of each of its facets can be used successively and thereby replace those parts of the edge portions of these blades which have become worn and thus considerably prolong Vthe usefulness of the same and effect a corresponding economy in operation.

Moreover each of the several blades can be reversed from one hat side to another so as to permit of replacing the corners of its facets on one side of each blade after the same have become worn by fresh or sharp corners of these facets on the opposite side of the respective blade. This organization also permits the front blade of the lower pair which receives the greatest amount of wear, by reason of the thread passing over the same at an angle, to be replaced or exchanged with the other blades of the front pair and also exchanged with one or both blades of the rear pair in order to distribute the wear upon these blades more uniformly and also secure the maximum usefulness of the same.

As best shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the front pair of blades and the rear pair of blades engage directly against each other so that the thread in passing through the eye which is formed between these several blades will be first engaged on its upper and lower sides by the front pair ,of blades and immediately thereafter on its horizontally opposite sides by the rear set of blades, thereby avoiding all possibility of thread imperfections, such as lint or slubs which have been removed from the thread to pass forwardly therewith to the take-on spool but instead causes this extraneous matter to be retained on the front side of the cleaner blades where it can be easily and conveniently removed by the operator the instant it is observed.

The placing of the thread between the cleaner blades of both the front and rear pairs as well as the removal of the same therefrom can be readily effected upon moving the auxiliary supporting plate into the angular position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3 in which the mouth of the auxiliary supporting plate and the mouth of the main supporting plate register with each other and together form a lateral pathway through which the thread can be inserted side- Wise into its operative position and also removed therefrom when required.

In order to positively arrest the downward movement of the auxiliary supporting plate which carries the front pair of cleaner blades stop means are provided which in the present case preferably consist of the head 213 of the screw which forms part of th-e means for connecting the main supporting plate with the bracket arm I6. This head 24 is preferably similar to that commonly used on a llister screw and therefore presents a large bearing surface which is adapted to be engaged by the underside of the auxiliary supporting plate, as shown by full lines in Fig. 2, when this plate has been moved downwardly to its fullest extent and the horizontal slot 5S between its blades has been extended across the vertical slot 35 between the rear pair of cleaning blades.

When the upper edge of the lower blade of the front pair has become worn to such an extent that replacement thereof is desirable then the front or auxiliary carrying plate il is moved horizontally relatively to the rear or main supporting plate in order to bring a new part of the upper edge of the lower front blade in line with the path of the thread which is to be cleaned and thereby enable the machine to continue its operation without stopping the same for effecting such renewal of the wearing surface of the lower front blade. This adjustment of the auxiliary supporting plate is effected by moving this plate horizontally in one direction or the other relative to the main supporting plate, this being possible due to the provision of the slot 46 in the arm All of the main supporting plate which receives the shank 45 of the bolt which pivotally and slidably connects this arm with the tang 4S of the auxiliary supporting plate.

As a whole this cleaner is very flexible in its use due to the fact that the same can be readily adapted to clean threads of different sizes and characteristics and also operates in effectively cleaning the thread on four sides and also permits of producing an eye or oblong form which permits of straightening any knots in the thread and removing extraneous matter from the thread and holding this same back for removal from the machine by the operator so as to prevent the production of imperfections in the cloth which is made from this thread.

I claim as my invention:

1. A thread cleaner for textile machines comprising a reciprocating traverse bar, a bracket secured to said bar and having a horizontal arm, a cleaner support engaging the side of said arm and having a horizontal slot, a screw passing through said slot and threadingly engaging said arm and engaging its head with said support, a spring washer interposed between said cleaner support and the head of said screw, and a pair of opposed cleaner blades mounted on said support and adapted to receive between them the thread to be cleaned.

2. A thread cleaner for textile machines comprising a reciprocating traverse bar, a bracket secured to said bar and provided with a horizontal arm, a supporting plate secured to one side of said arm and provided with lower and upper shoulders engaging with the lower and upper edges of said arm, and cleaner blades mounted on said plate and adapted to receive between them the thread to be cleaned.

3. A thread cleaner for textile machines cornprising a reciprocating traverse bar, a bracket secured to said bar and provided with a horizontal arm, an upright supporting plate having a lower p-art secured to the front side of said arm and an upper part oiset rearwardly from said lower part and forming a downwardly facing shoulder which engages with the upper edges of said arm, rearwardly projecting lugs arranged on the lower edge of said plate and engaging with the lower edge of said arm, and cleaner blades secured to the upper part of said plate and adapted to receive between them the thread to be cleaned.

4. A thread cleaner for textile machines comprising a main supporting plate provided with an upwardly opening gap and a laterally projecting arm, an auxiliary supporting plate-provided at one end with a gap and at its opposite end with a tang, means for connecting the arm of the main supporting plate and the auxiliary supporting plate for permitting the latter to swing vertically and parallel relative to the main supporting plate and also to be adjusted horizontally relative to the same, a pair of cleaning blades mounted on said main supporting plate on opposite sides of its gap, and a pair of cleaning blades mounted on said auxiliary supporting plate on opposite sides of the gap thereof, said blades together forming an eye for the passage ofthe thread to be cleaned.

5. A thread cleaner for textile machines comprising a main supporting plate provided with anupwardly opening gap and a laterally projecting arm, an auxiliary supporting plate provided at one end with a gap and at its opposite end with a tang, means for connecting the arm of the main supporting plate and the auxiliary supporting plate for permitting the latter to swing vertically and parallel relative to the main supporting plate and also to be adjusted horizontally relative to the same, a pair of cleaning blades mounted on said main supporting plate on opposite sides of its gap, a pair of cleaning blades mounted on said auxiliary supporting plate on opposite sides of the gap thereof, said blades together forming an eye for the passage of the thread to be cleaned, a bracket upon which the main supporting plate is slidable, and means for clamping together said main supporting plate and said bracket including a clamping screw which also forms a stop for limiting the downward movement of said auxiliary supporting plate relative to said main supporting plate.

6. A thread cleaner for textile machines comprising an upright main plate provided with an upwardly opening gap, an auxiliary plate mounted to swing vertically into and out of a position across the main plate and provided with a gap which normally extends across the upright gap of the main plate and opens horizontally, main cleaner blades mounted on the main plate and forming between them an upright slot which is in line with said upright gap, and auxiliary cleaner blades mounted on said auxiliary plate and normally forming between them a horizontal slot which is in line with the gap of the auxiliary plate and crosses the slot between the blades on the main plate and forms therewith an eye through which the thread to be "cleaned is adapted to pass, said auxiliary plate being adapted to swing upwardly from its normal horizontal position for bringing the entranrse of its gap in line with the entrance of the upright gap in the main plate for permitting introduction of the thread to be cleaned into the gaps and between the blades of both the main and auxiliary plates.

PAUL HEMMERICH. 

